Full house at Polhøgda for a closer look at Nordic politics in the Arctic
How should the Nordic countries relate to the EU, NATO and Russia as geopolitical tension increases in the Arctic? The question brought researchers, analysts and policymakers to this year’s Nansen Arctic Seminar at Polhøgda, the former home of Fridtjof Nansen.
The seminar was organised by Andreas Østhagen, Research Director for Ocean and Arctic Politics at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute, and co-editor of the newly launched volume The Nordic States, NATO and the EU in Arctic Security.
‘For years, the Nordic region was treated as stable and predictable. Now the Arctic is far more connected to wider geopolitics. This exposes differences between the Nordic countries and complicates cooperation,’ Østhagen says.
A changing Nordic landscape
The event drew a full audience and an active discussion. With all Nordic countries now in NATO, several long-standing assumptions are shifting. This creates new possibilities, but also new points of friction.
Contributions addressed hybrid pressure in the Baltic Sea, Iceland’s security role without armed forces, the EU’s growing interest in critical minerals, and Finland’s rapid adjustment to NATO membership.
Samu Paukkunen, Deputy Director of the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, put it bluntly: ‘We will never be safe as long as Putin remains in power.’
Gudbjørg Ríkey Hauksdóttir outlined the pressure Iceland faces as a small state positioned between larger players. From Denmark, Amelie Theussen offered a grounded view of discussions about US and Chinese activity in Greenland. EU researcher Gabriella Gricius explained why the EU still struggles to develop a coherent Arctic policy.
Norway’s place in the Nordic mix
In the final session, the panel examined how Norway positions itself in a Nordic region that both cooperates and competes.
Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) Director Nina Græger highlighted total defence as a clear Nordic strength, while Paal Sigurd Hilde (Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies) described how Swedish and Finnish NATO membership is reshaping Norway’s defence planning.
FNI senior researcher Svein Vigeland Rottem underlined a structural fact: ‘In the Arctic, being a coastal state shapes everything. It defines Norway’s approach.’
A full recording of the seminar is available here. The seminar was held primarily in Norwegian, with one session conducted in English.
